Snook.ca

'Hooligan

I just signed and returned the paperwork. As of November 16, I'll be an employee of Yahoo!.

This might seem like a bit of a surprise for those aware that I started at Squarespace just seven months ago. Unfortunately, six months into it, the requirements of employment changed and I was no longer able to stay on. Suffice it to say, I think the folks at Squarespace are fantastic and I believe they have a great product on their hands.

I took a couple weeks to take a break—something I really haven't done for quite some time. It's an odd feeling to wake up and not have anything to work on. But it was a break that I sorely needed.

One can only go so long without getting paid so I put the word out to some friends that I was on the hunt for a long-term, full-time gig that still allowed me to work from home. It was very refreshing to see so many companies who seemed open to the possibility. With so many great opportunities, it ended up being difficult to decide which direction I should go in. In the end, I chose Yahoo!.

Why Yahoo?

There were a number of things that attracted me to the company. One of the was the opportunity to get to work on multiple platforms from the web, to mobile, to the desktop. Another was to have the opportunity to work with great people and friends who already work at Yahoo!. Finally, it was the opportunity to work on projects with a scale much larger than any project I've had the chance to work on before. I really look forward to the challenges and the opportunity to expand my skills in new areas.

The Industry

The one thing this process re-affirmed for me was that I love working in this industry and love how open the community is. As "hippie" as it sounds, everybody likes to share and there are plenty of people looking out for other people. A big thank you to those that helped me get connected with the right people.

This feeling was re-affirmed again when I was at Fronteers this week. I love conferences for the opportunity to share what I've been working on and to hear what everybody else has been doing. I got to meet lots of new friends and chat with old ones, too. It's an odd thing to fly halfway around the world and still be able to hang out with people you know.

I'm ending this post before I get too sappy and start singing kumbaya...

That's fantastic news, Jon. I kinda feel sorry for Squarespace, but as you say, their product is rock solid, so they should be fine. I look forward to hearing about all the wonderful things you'll be working on.